By Anne Jambora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:39:00 07/07/2008
MANILA, Philippines—This petite fashionista could lift a sack of rice—wearing four-inch heels. Now, if only stilettos were made of sturdier stuff.
Ruby Gan, a powerlifter, could do squats, in sexy heels, with 134 lbs of weight stacked over her shoulder. But that would be only for sheer “fun.”
“The heels would not be able to stand the pressure, and I would end up with injuries,” Gan said, laughing.
The buoyant owner of Schu and Myth, footwear and fashion boutiques, Gan is just as passionate about fashion as she is about lifting weights. To this day, the 2008 gold medalist in Master 1 category (56-kg class, benchpress) has managed to keep both worlds separate.
No one in the fashion circle knows this svelte lady is a hardcore powerlifter. Sure, they might have guessed this mother of two grownup boys hits the gym regularly. But no one in the gym would even think she’s a fashionista since she’s usually in loose old shirts borrowed from her sons.
